


hertis rote

by arthur_pendragon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: An Outpouring of Love for Arthur Pendragon, Canon Era, Early in Canon, Kisses, Light Angst, M/M, POV Merlin, POV Second Person, Possessive Arthur Pendragon, Season/Series 01, Season/Series 02, so much love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 16:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17429615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arthur_pendragon/pseuds/arthur_pendragon
Summary: You love Arthur to distraction.





	hertis rote

**Author's Note:**

> for the/my kiss fest which ends in a few hours
> 
> hertis rote = my heart's root
> 
> i hope you like this. thank you everyone, for everything.

You’re in Arthur’s rooms, and Arthur is gazing at you. He thinks the Great Dragon is dead. You haven’t the heart to disillusion him.

There is a tiny smile flickering on his face, and he’s just standing there, looking at you. At least he isn’t in his hefty armour anymore. You blink and he’s at your back, your arm twisted behind you, his breath driving you to your knees, both of you so young and weightless. You blink and he’s rolling his eyes at you, raising his goblet whilst Morgana argues over nothings with the king. You blink and he’s laughing at you, mouthing _she’s not that bad_. You blink and he’s trying to die for you.

You blink and he’s standing in front of you, angling for a kiss.

You know you don’t have eternity with this demigod, the time you’ve got left rustling through the pinhole-neck of the hourglass, dripping down the edge of the ink-scored candle. The knot of the thread that ties you two together has no give, but you never pull the string taut to test it. Arthur will come to you, Arthur will kiss you, and Arthur will dance with you in silent corridors, eyes glittering in the twilight, waltzing slowly. Arthur will always stand out, he’s the sunflower rising from the daisies, and one day the child whose life you spared will kill him, and it’ll be because you were human, splintery.

Your mouth fills with bile and you walk off to the sound of the knights’ teasing. The sun’s too strong, and that’s why, when Gaius asks you later, your eyes are red.

Arthur holds you close whenever he can, loath to let you go for your chores, nuzzling your hair, your ear, nipping at it like a lion content. His fingers harrow the cloth over your back; _you’re sure to bleed from my claws if you leave_ , he tells you. _I’ve trapped you now. You mustn’t part from me, you’re mine now. You’ll always be._

You haven’t got the words yet to tell him that the universe wove you into being for him, that the air you exhale is in his service, that you do not exist without him.

Instead, you wrap yourself around him and smile and let his breathing quieten you. You let his warmth protect you and his naughty blue eyes strip you bare and his mouth sear memories into yours.

One kiss; he drags you into bed despite a wounded shoulder as you weep into his neck. Two; you heal the rift a traitorous thief tore open between you. Three; _I don’t know what I’ll do if any harm comes to you_. Four, five, six, seven, you’re too dizzy to remember. There’s trolls and witchfinders and cursed girls; poisoned wards, a father gained and lost too soon, all _manner_ of problems but despite everything, everything — he never drops your hand. Eight nine ten twenty thirty seventy hundred _thousand_ kisses later, you know his mouth better than you know your own and are at home only when he’s touching you, caressing your face, wrinkling his nose and nudging yours. He’s a prince, but for you he’s cracked himself open.

You’ll run from your future and the dragon’s warnings as far as you can. You’ll protect him, you’ll kill for him. You’ll never let him go, you stupid creature.

You wear his pendant under your scarf. You peek into his windows.

In them you see Arthur throwing his head back in laughter, achingly, beautifully charming, and think you’ve already lost the battle you’ll spend centuries struggling not to fight.


End file.
